(Montreal) Canadian airline WestJet announced on Tuesday that one in five planes in its fleet will remain grounded next month due to the fifth wave of COVID-19, marked by a sharp rise in cases of the Omicron variant.
Posted at 6:28 p.m.
“WestJet has made the difficult decision to cancel 20% of scheduled flights between 1er and February 28, 2022,” the Canadian carrier said in a statement.
These new cancellations are in addition to those already announced for the month of January. Calgary-based WestJet has cut about 15% of its flights until the end of the month due to staff shortages.
Chairman and CEO Harry Taylor said the decision was made due to Omicron’s impact on the company’s workforce and “persistent barriers” to international travel.
“We make every effort to proactively manage our planning to minimize disruption to our customers’ travel plans,” he said, “sincerely” apologizing to travelers for the inconvenience caused.
In its press release, the carrier notes that Canada is one of the countries with the highest vaccination rates in the world, and affirms that the aviation industry remains one of the sectors where screening tests are the more frequent.
Last fall, Canada introduced compulsory vaccination for anyone aged 12 and over who wants to travel on a plane or train.
“We continue to advocate for the elimination of cumbersome travel rules that unnecessarily harm Canadians and delay the recovery of the travel and tourism sector,” continued Harry Taylor.
Canada, he continued, remains “one of the only countries in the world to require molecular testing for fully vaccinated travellers.”
The airline believes that “national alignment and industry standardization are still urgently needed”.